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Friday, April 11, 2014

Title and Author:The Search by Nora RobertsPrint Length: 456 PagesPublication Date: 2010Language: EnglishGenre: Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, ThrillerMy Review:Fiona Bristow was the only woman who survived and helped catch the Red Scarf Killer but she had to pay the price of escape by losing her cop fiance and his canine partner to the killer. Now years later, Fiona has finally found some peace in her small house on the small and relatively remote island of Orcas where she runs a dog training school as well as a Canine Search and Rescue Unit. Life is finally getting meaning and Fiona's heart has fluttered after a long time for any man. Simon Doyle wants privacy and so has left his highly successful city life behind. A famous wood artist, he is happy with his choice of shifting to the Orcas Island and living in his beautiful house surrounded by woods and a beach. The only thing threatening his happy mood is the small, furry puppy named Jaws that his mother has forced on him who seems to have taken a pledge to never let Simon have even a moments peace. Add this nuisance to the unwelcome attraction towards the new dog trainer, Fiona, Simon's life is barreling out of control.While Fiona and Simon are faced with conflicting emotions which neither of them is ready for, Fiona'speace is shattered when a copycat killer starts killing young women just like the Red Scarf Killer and apparently, this copycat has been trained and his blood lust channeled by a man who has only one motive and that is to finish his incomplete work and kill the only woman who ever escaped him!The first thing that attracted me towards this book was the cover which gives an overall feel of mystery, dark secrets, the thrill of danger and the fear of the unknown. Add the intriguing cover to the well worded blurb and I just had to buy the book! Nora Roberts stamp was an added bonus. :)The plot is intense and even horrifying which the author brings to life with expertise. A motivated serial killer's mindset and his justification to this cruel and horrendous actions is beautifully brought out and gives a chill and goosebumps to the reader. The writing style is simple and captivating. The length of the novel is a bit lengthy and I felt the story could have been made more concise.The characterization is good and I liked Fiona's character. Fiona is strong, independent and capable of handling herself in any situation. He made me feel proud of her and I could easily connect and empathize with her. Simon's character is complicated. He is unlike any hero I have ever faced in romantic novels. He is cranky, irritable, rude, mean and blunt. But still cares deeply for people he loves. His relationship with Fiona was also very unconventional. There were so few loving words between them and unlike any other couple, they are often blunt, even rude and non patronizing towards each other and this, I think is the whole appeal of their relationship. They are two people not suited for each other but still their love for each other is strong and they are ready to accept one another despite all their shortcomings.Syl was another fun character and I really enjoyed the scenes with her in the picture. The only thing that bothered me was the absence of Fiona's real mother. She is just mentioned once or twice but never comes center stage. It was odd that she didn't come to visit her daughter even once despite all the threats and danger to her life! This is another observation that I have noted in several of Nora's books. The mother characters in her books don't share strong bonds with their daughters and if they do then they never come center stage to give the reader a feel of their relationships.The dogs add another appeal to the story. I loved the whole training enlightenment that I got in the book. It may seem sometimes tedious to some but not to me. I now have some very awesome tips to train my dog if I have any in the future. I could feel the thrill, the happiness and contentment of having dogs as pets who love you unconditionally. The pace of the story is a bit slow and I did feel this lacking here. I was hooked and engrossed in the story but the length and the pace of the book made me sometimes feel like skipping ahead and just because of this and the fact that there was just too much F-word and slang used in the book, I give The Search a 4 out of 5. If you like intense romantic suspense with strong characters and a tight plot then this is the book for you but beware the adult language and free use of slang in this book. Buy From:Amazon.com:Paperback | Kindle EbookAmazon.in: Paperback | Kindle EbookFlipkart.com: Paperback | Ebook